In last week’s post we discussed the notion of self-reliance. This week we continue along the same vein, but look at what it is that keeps us dependent and reliant on the unreliable reality that was once called “normal”. Our dependency comes through our reliance on the various grids that make up the matrix woven around us. “Grids” […]
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Category: Articles
Rediscover Self-Reliance
The government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak has impoverished millions, created massive unemployment, destroyed businesses, disrupted supply chains and eroded our freedoms. We are left on our own to cope with the aftermath, meaning that we have to take personal responsibility for our lives. Consequently, there has been a turn towards self-reliance and a realisation […]
Start Producing!
The Talent Exchange is an exchange system. It is designed to facilitate exchange without using money. But, as we have witnessed during this period of lockdown, it is not terribly useful when we are not in a position to physically provide or receive much. The money-based exchange system appears to continue working because some “essential” […]
Where do the levies go?
Have you ever wondered what happens to the levies that are part of every transaction on the Talent Exchange? When you enter a transaction, you will see the amount of the transaction that goes towards the levy. Currently the levy rate of the CTTE is set at 2%. This means that 2% of the amount […]
Is the Talent Exchange a Bartering Syste...
Have you ever had to explain what the Talent Exchange is to someone who has never heard about it? Usually the conversation goes something like this: “So what is this Talent Exchange thing?” “It’s a system where people buy and sell without using money.” “Oh, you mean a bartering system?” “No, it’s not barter because […]
Documentary on Tim Jenkin, founder of th...
Prior to founding the Community Exchange System (CES) in 2003, Tim Jenkin found fame as an anti-apartheid activist in the 1970s. He broke out of Pretoria prison in 1979 and is currently the subject of a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe as Tim. Watch a documentary here on Tim’s escape
Who is the Talent Exchange ‘Policeman’?
From time to time issues arise in the Talent Exchange that anger and irritate users: members exceeding their debit and credit limits; members having no offerings; members asking for more Rands than Talents; members using the exchange to promote their Rand businesses; flaky, meaningless offerings given in order to get an account; members who never respond to […]
Are Talents Money?
From time to time the Talent Exchange gets accused of being “just another money system”. Is this the case? Are Talents just another form of money? To be able to answer this question, we first need to be clear on what money is. Then we can make the comparison. According to the classical definition, money is anything […]
What Can I Offer?
Many potential members, when applying to join the Talent Exchange, have a problem when faced with deciding what they will offer the community. “I don’t have anything to offer”, “I’ve got nothing that anyone wants”, “I don’t think anyone would want what I do at work”, “I don’t have any useful skills” or “I’m pretty […]
Bitcoin Versus Talents*
A lot of people are getting very excited about Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies. Some even question the efficacy of Talents now that there is a global ‘replacement’ for regular money in the form of the crypto-currencies. Bitcoin is the first major innovation in money in nearly 400 years: It is a private-sector money, not controlled […]